Ripper teeth are commonly used in conjunction with earthworking machines which are advanced along the surface of the earth and have an arm that extends downwardly into the earth with a shank being located on the lower end of the arm of the earthworking machine such that a ripper tooth may be mounted on the shank.
Generally, the ripper tooth mounted on the shank is positioned such that it has a forward portion extending in the direction of advance of the earthworking machine on the surface such that advancing the machine on the surface causes the ripper tooth to compress and shatter the rock-like formations beneath the surface thereby forming a narrow trench along the path taken by the earthworking machine.
Such ripper teeth usually form very narrow recesses in the earth formation with the depth of the recess being a multiple of its width with the depth usually being in the range of about three feet, but being able to vary from the three feet, depending upon the circumstances.
Ripper teeth that are known are generally V-shaped in side view having a pointed forward section for initial penetration into the earth material but have a flat side when viewed in plan such that the rock-like material, once shattered, is urged upwardly from the recess being formed in the earth formation.
Generally, the environment in which the ripper teeth must survive is of a very hostile and abrasive nature with compressive pressures of up to about 18,000 pounds per square inch of compression necessary to shatter the rock and, further, the type of rock being of a slag-like material producing extreme wear upon the ripper teeth used for shattering slag.
In addition, the ripper tooth, although generally used by forcing the tooth along a path parallel to the surface of the earth and in the direction of the advancing machine, the ripper tooth assembly and shank may also be pivoted by the arm of the ripping machine such that the angle of attack of the tooth ranges from parallel up to 110 degrees negative rake with the above-mentioned parallel direction of the machine.
Typically, the ripper teeth of the prior art are made of a steel material or the like and are consumed in a very rapid fashion such that large inventories of these teeth must be kept on hand at the site of the excavation and frequently changed. While the ripper teeth are attached by a pin providing a rather rapid, quick release and/or attachment, depending on whether one is removing the tooth or replacing the worn tooth, there is still down time of the machine required, and somewhat of a logistics problem to maintain the inventory of ripper teeth on the site during excavating.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ripper tooth which is easily adaptable either to be attached to the worn ripper tooth already existing on the machine and provide a substantially longer wear life when in use by said ripping machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a ripper tooth having a substantially longer wear life than heretofore previously known and which is easily attachable to the existing shank of the ripping machine thereby requiring less of an inventory of ripper teeth to be kept on site at an excavation project and further preventing any excessive down time necessary for the changing of said ripper teeth.